Clockwork Golem
Clockwork Golems are a creation of science and magitech. They are machines which move and act like humans, but are constructed from brass and steel. Clockwork Golems come in two main varieties. Second-Class Golems are mindless drones, not capable of sentient thought, who will only act when given orders. First-Class Golems are sentient beings who can think like a human being. These golems are generally slightly better at logical thinking than humans, and are not as weighed down by emotions, but otherwise are remarkably similar. History Those with great magical talent have always been able to create golems from stone and metal, but these constructs are temporary and few have the required expertise. And so, a marvel of machinery was invented in 20.65 by a scientist in Varawyn named Wilfred Henderlyn. These Clockwork Golems did not require constant power and could be mass-produced. Prior to this, Henderlyn was not particularly well known, and at first his research was rejected by the imperious scientists of the Varawyn Academies. When he presented his creation, however, he was immediately showered with praise and fame. People advised him to build a business, but Wilfred didn't care about money or fame, he simply enjoyed bringing life to metal and gears. So he publicised his blueprints and in short time factories were churning out clockwork drones for manual labour. Wilfred was an old kindly man who saw his creations as his children, but he soon realised that these mindless drones weren't really children. And so, Wilfred returned to the drawing board, eager to try and fabricate an intelligent, sentient creature. In 20.77, Wilfred completed his greatest invention, a childlike clockwork golem with its own sentience. He named it "Bobby", and loved it like a son. Wilfred presented his findings, and they were met with mixed results. Some were impressed by the creation, but many more were nervous about the prospect of intelligent machines. You couldn't force a sentient being to work, that was slavery. Others were worried that these machines would want to take over humanity. Paranoia grew, until a mob surrounded Wilfred's house, wanting to destroy Bobby. The old man told Bobby to escape, and hobbled to face the mob. He stalled for long enough, and when the mob realised he was protecting the object of their hatred, they killed him. Bobby left Varawyn and travelled the world. He saw many things and had many experiences, but one of the most notable of these was a visit to Shavhan, where the scientists of Vani'Shah welcomed him. Bobby exchanged the blueprints for First-Class Clockwork Golems for some knowledge from the Library of Mika'Zah, and left. In Tyrrus, Henderlyn's research was public, and many scientists were intrigued by the prospect of building a thinking creature, despite the controversy. Before too long, there were many more sentient machines in the world, and the paranoia decreased slightly as people realised that these Clockwork Golems were no superior to humans, and that they didn't really want to take over the world. By the time Bobby returned to Varawyn, in 20.80, there were many Clockwork Golems populating the city, and they were awed to meet Bobby, who was seen as the most wise of their race. in 20.81, the Varawyn military formed the Clockwork Regiment, for Clockwork Golems who wished to be soldiers, since the Erdannian Military didn't recognise them as valid soldiers. These were mobilised against Hirokir in 20.84, since they would be immune to the dangerous climate and venomous wildlife.